


The Lost Time Lord

by Smaug25



Series: The Last Time Lord and the Impossible Girl {Modern Edition} [1]
Category: Doctor Who (1963), Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Adventure, Angst, But only a little bit for now, Comedy, Drama, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Running, Science Fiction, Tragedy, and a little bit of romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:48:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27628397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smaug25/pseuds/Smaug25
Summary: I don’t know who I am, or where I am. I don’t even know what my life has become. But I…I am old, and I have seen…many, many things. I don’t even know where I am, or even when.But this woman…Clara…Who are you, Clara?
Relationships: The Doctor & The Doctor's TARDIS
Series: The Last Time Lord and the Impossible Girl {Modern Edition} [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2020043
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	The Lost Time Lord

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note by Smaug: Well hello there, dear reader. Thank you so much for checking this story…saga…thing out and I hope you stick around and enjoy what you find.
> 
> Just before we start, I want to make a few disclaimers, starting with the obvious. No, I do not own Doctor Who, or any characters, stories, titles, etc. that originated in the 50+ year old show. Also, any and all songs or tv/movies/games/books etc. that I reference or use as part of this story, I do not own.
> 
> Second disclaimer: Yes, this is a rewrite of "The Last Time Lord and the Impossible Girl", and the "Classic/Modern Edition" that is added into the titles is just a play on words of the series' two distinct eras. Mostly, this is a rewrite for the sake of improving the quality of the writing and less of changing the story arcs etc. The original will not be updated any further, however it will be left up for your own reading pleasure, as well as seeing all the different similarities and changes that will occur in the rewrite.
> 
> Third disclaimer: For the sake of avoiding congestion, the story will have its chapters split into a sequence of seasons, (Yes, like a tv show). Each of these seasons will revolve around a certain story idea, for example the season based on the 1st series of the modern era will be called something like "Bad Wolf".
> 
> Fourth and final disclaimer: When it comes to the "Canon" of this story, regarding any Doctor Who materials that take place in this story's timeline but do not get addressed or changed at all, the list goes as follows:
> 
> Classic Who Era (From William Hartnell's first season to Paul McGann's TV Movie).
> 
> The Sarah Jane Adventures.
> 
> Class.
> 
> Torchwood (Seasons 1, 2 and 3, also known as "Children of Earth"). Miracle Day is not canon mostly because of a confliction regarding Jack's immortality and how I intend to use Captain Jack as a character in this story. I have given a slightly more in depth reason in the original version of this story, but I will not be bringing it into this version for a while, purely for the sake of spoilers for anybody who has not read this story before in either form.
> 
> So, sit back, relax, and please enjoy. :)

**Prologue**

…FEED CONNECTING…

…FEED CONNECTION ESTABLISHED. COMMENCING CONNECTION TEST…

…FEED CONNECTION TEST SUCCESSFUL…

…FEED CONNECTION STABILIZED…

…INCOMING TRANSMISSION…

…TRANSMISSION RECEIVED…

…THE FOLLOWING IS A NOVELIZED TRANSCRIPT OF A RECORDING BY COMMANDER STRAX…

…TRANSMISSION COMMENCING…

 **Earth  
** Unknown Location and Time

There was a click of a door lock, followed by the sharp snap of the lock giving way and the door opening. Beyond the door was a single dark room. Not exactly pitch dark for the open doorway released some sunlight into the room, silhouetting a figure who was…stocky in weight but also small in height. More sunlight was trying to fight its way into the room also, but instead through the drawn curtains. The mysterious figure closed the door, the sunlight disappeared, except for the small amount in the door's gaps, or in the veiled fabric of the curtains. The footsteps of the stranger crossed through the dark room and stopped at a wooden desk, where upon stood a large microphone, pointed directly towards the intruder. The stranger raised a large, gloved hand, one that curiously had only two fingers and one thumb. One of the fingers poked at the microphone, causing a loud whining feedback, before the stranger leaned in.

"Testing? Testing?" A voice came from the figure, but it was muffled by a helmet of sorts. A small grunt of irritation came out as the figure stepped back and removed the helmet. A hiss came from the parting of the helmet from the armor as the figure placed the helmet down and moved back to the microphone. "Is this on?" It tried again, it's voice distinctly male but the source distinctly NOT Human. Then, he cleared his throat, and retooled his posture to standing straight and proud. "Greetings, puny Humans. You shall all bow down and serve before the indomitable might of…" The figure halted in his passionate rambling only to clear his throat and speak again. "You shall all refer to me from now on until the end of this recording as "Commander Strax"." Strax greeted, pride at his own name and disgust for having to mention these…"Humans". "This recording is for all of those that are about to begin reading…whatever this is." Strax dismissed, his wave of a hand not picked up, because he was recorded by a microphone. "You might be asking, "Why a recording?" The reason is quite simple. I, Commander Strax, have been entrusted by the Doctor and Clara Oswald with the highly honorable duty of briefing you all with etiquette!" Strax proclaimed in what can only be described as, "The proudest of proud boasts". "Or in a better terminology, since this is a story you are going to be reading, I shall be briefing you about etiquette…in a library." Strax chuckled aloud, not out of humor, but out of self-pleasure…ish. "A wise choice, if I say so myself." Strax purred. "If you are not familiar with the soldiers of the glorious Sontaran Empire," Strax proudly proclaimed…again, "one of our most basic training regiments is to show exemplary levels of rapt attention. We have all been drilled in basic concentration as long as any of us can remember. The best of us, including me," Strax added in a not-so-subtle boast, "only take about a week to complete this monumental task." Silence fell for a moment as Strax leaned into the microphone, his tone of voice growing low, almost becoming an intimidating growl. "But it has become noticeably clear to me that your feeble Human minds are not so disciplined. So in response to this…fairly insubordinate catastrophe, I shall present to you…the prisoners." Strax added in a growling purr. "Those that did not adhere to all library etiquette." The microphone rattled as Strax took it, quickly finding it to be wireless, and brought it to the opposite wall in the bare, plain room, where two Humans, male and female, had been cuffed to raised, black metal prisoner beds. "Two prisoners. One boy and one girl. On my left, we have the singular female." The man tried to protest but Strax pointed a warning finger at him. "Within the complete and utter silence of a library, THIS INSURBORDINATE FOOL," Strax enunciated with a threatening snarl, "attempted to open a communications channel to her command post, codenamed: Fury1."

"Fiona!" The man exclaimed at a loud, protesting volume once Strax reached a moment's pause. "Her name is-"

"Quiet, scum!" Strax barked, and the man fell silent. "All phones, tablets, computers and radios are not allowed to make any noise! That includes those disgusting Morse code…" Strax paused for a moment, "things." Strax shook his head vehemently to himself. "All devices capable of creating any noises through communication, media, gaming, or advertisements must be switched to silent!" Strax took a moment to breathe, if not merely to overload the microphone with his shouting. "Now, on my right, we have the singular male." The woman furrowed her eyebrows at Strax, but he ignored her. "This feeble specimen has proven that while cloning Sontarans is a magnificent duty," Strax started, thrusting his chest out in a moment of pride before returning to glare down at the girl, "attempting to clone the contents of a library with recording equipment for personal monetary gain is the greatest of all war crimes!" Strax glared down at the girl as he pulled a camera out into view, his action making the girl's eyes widen. Then, he furrowed his eyes, smiled, then shook his head and glared back at the girl with a pointed finger of warning. "But that's still no excuse!" He spluttered before he let the camera drop the floor and smashed it to pieces under his armored boot. Then, watching with glee as the girl's expression turned to childish despair, he exited the room and moved down a corridor that was lit with sunlight, his destination being a door at the opposite end of the corridor. "Talking inside of a library is also a crime, unless you are speaking to an official librarian staff member." He opened the door and moved inside a much cleaner room than before, where a weakened man lay upon a hospital bed with bandages over his eyes.

"Mr. Strax, sir…" The man spoke, his voice hoarse from all the pain, but Strax was already at his side.

"It will only be one more day." Strax said simply, his tone softer than his treatment of the prisoners before he spoke back into the microphone. "And here is a victim who grew too obsessed with a story he found at a "Digital Only" library." Strax left the room to stand in the hallway, relaxing his shoulders for a short pause. "If you are a visitor to one of these libraries, or reads stories through any kind of screen, I, as a former disgraced Sontaran that had to serve as a nurse, will give you…doctor's advice." Strax furrowed his eyebrows for a moment as his own wording before shaking his head and continuing on. "One: Always make sure your library or current sitting room is well lit and your device's screen brightness is turned down to an acceptable dullness. Two: No matter how invested you are in any story, good or bad, always make sure to take regular breaks from this digital form of reading, if only to avoid burning out your retinas into a lovely river of crimson soup." Strax smiled before he shook his head again. "But thus, we come to the end of this message broadcast. I have only one last message, and this goes to all my Sontaran warrior brothers." At that, his eyes widened in terror and his voice picked up. "If you are going to be reading the following story, then we must undergo an emergency drill!" Strax ordered, and for affect, he smashed a fire alarm in the wall. "All troops prepare for a visual assault, featuring as many Doctor's as possible, in all their fleshy pink horror, and irredeemable acts of mercy and kindness!" Strax shivered as he tried desperately to look for the exit before he looked back to the microphone. "For the glory of the Sontaran empire, end the recording, now!"

…TRANSCRIPT COMMENCED…

…CONNECTION ENDING…

* * *

 _TARDIS Log Entry_ **  
**_By Susan Foreman_

_Written 15th_ _September 1963 (Planet Earth Time)  
76 Totter's Lane, Shoreditch, London_

_This is a…strange TARDIS. I don't mean that in a negative way, quite the opposite in fact. The more unique the ship, the more entertainment you will derive simply from trying to work it out._

_At least, that is my opinion on the matter. Grandfather has spent many a night in the console room, muttering curses as if for the first time he had discovered exactly what a curse was. Usually he would say something like, "My dear Susan, this infernal machine is not reliable! Not in the slightest!" before following it up with a reassuring comment like, "Oh, but I'm sure we'll have it all figured out. Now, if only I can tell which control is the Helmic Regulator, hmm?" Other curses would range from, "Oh dear, this won't do. This won't do at all." or, "Why did we get THIS TARDIS, Susan? Why not the Type 50?" Of course if grandfather were actually in a bad mood instead of pretending, he would throw around quite colorful language to say the least. Those moments really do make my day, as long as he isn't alerted to my presence._

_This TARDIS that we now call home, even with grandfather begrudgingly admitting to it, is a Type 40 TARDIS. Frankly, it's a secondhand piece of scrap, with console pieces and machinery always loose or broken, or in the rare occasion, requires immediate replacement. Anyway, I'm not writing this log as an inspection report, no matter how many times grandfather has mentioned in private. No, I'm writing this as…well…as a way of acquiring…understanding. After all, grandfather wondered about the same thing. Why THIS TARDIS? And before you even try to ask, no…I really didn't plan any of this out._

_You see, when we left our home planet, we were in quite a hurry. We weren't exactly running from pursuing attackers or law enforcement, not at all. I personally wanted to leave because…well, our people, back at home, have a clear and strict rule about other planets and species._

_"No, my child, we are not allowed to leave." Grandfather explained to me after he had…failed to acquire his TARDIS driving license…again. "That is one of the most concrete and unflinching laws of our people, Susan. We must never interfere in the affairs of other peoples or planets." Admittedly, grandfather also said this with a look of childish disappointment on his face._

_So, yes, I wanted to leave so I could see the universe. Grandfather on the other hand, well…he still has yet to admit about why HE wanted to leave. Yes, he didn't get along with our upper-class citizens, (It's not really what they're called, but hopefully you get the point), nor did he feel any differently with the High Council. I always imagined that he was as bored as I was, but…I still get the feeling that there is more that he doesn't tell me. It shouldn't really bother me, and most of the time it does not, but…well…to explain this, I'll tell a very quick and short story. It's me and grandfather, back at home, and we had…acquired access into a TARDIS museum._

_I'll make it quite clear that it is NOT a museum, (Even with the name saying otherwise), but more of a repair shop. So, we were lucky enough to find that the security system in this shop/museum was quite inadequate to say the least. Grandfather and I knew that silence was key for us to "Acquire" a TARDIS. Despite that, creeping in the shop and hiding in the shadows, we couldn't see anyone. Not anybody bringing in another faulty TARDIS, nor the two shop workers, Andro and Fabian._

_Keeping silent, grandfather moved across the left lobby wall, and I moved to follow. Our target was the storage room for booked TT Capsules, (Another name for TARDIS), but we had to be wary also. At the other end of the lobby was a hallway, and in the workshop room beyond we could hear Andro and Fabian working away on a TT Capsule._

_Grandfather inched the storage door open, peering his eye through the open crack, his other hand reaching to grab mine. This was not for comfort but for communication. Gallifreyans, or Time Lords/Ladies have an innate talent for telepathy. Unfortunately, grandfather can only perform touch telepathy, whereas I was…more advanced. Not that it mattered, since grandfather decided to…open the channel, shall we say._

_"There are five TT Capsules in the room, Susan." Grandfather whispered. Why he whispered when we weren't speaking aloud, I shall remain clueless to. "I can see that two of them are Type 20's, and the others are…a Type 15, a Type 50, and a Type 40."_

_"Best to take the Type 50, then?"_

_Grandfather nodded. "As we should, my dear." Grandfather swung the door open, and the lack of alarm was a brief comfort, as we would trigger it once we were piloting a TARDIS._

_Inside the room were indeed five TT Capsules, but they were in their default form. You see, every TARDIS has a system called a "Chameleon Circuit" which allows the ship to disguise itself as any shape, as long as it blends in with the local time and place. But on our home planet of Gallifrey, unless you have a customized exterior, it reverts back to its default look. What is its default look, you might ask? Well…think of it as a concrete pipe with a cap on top and a double door in its side._

_The both of us moved towards the Type 50, which was already unlocked, a common rule for all repair shops. "Leave the TARDIS unlocked for all repairs to be in conjunction with the interior console." I slid into it, and the console room was, disappointedly, a bland dark grey with nothing of note aside from the console itself, but I maintained the hope that it could be customized. Moving over to the console, I check for the Scanner switch. The Scanner screen, which was suspended above the console in a circle of joined screens, lit up, granting me vision of the storage room outside. Grandfather was still at the doors, checking to make sure that we weren't being followed. Just as he is about to move inside…he stopped moving. I check for the audio, but it isn't working, so I sneak back over to the doors, with my eyes fixed on the Scanner screens._

_"Doctor?" A voice. I see movement at the edge of the screen, but it was only there for a moment. "Doctor?" The voice calls again. It sounds like a woman, young most likely, but it is hard to tell with our long-life spans._

_"Yes?" Grandfather responds, moving away from the doors and he seemed to be staring at something off the screen. "Yes?" He called again, and…now there is someone. A woman steps into view of the Scanner. She had brown hair, looked to be a similar height to me, (I'm 5ft 1), and was dressed all in…red. It wasn't all the same shade of red, but…it was all still red. She was looking at grandfather in what I can only describe as concerned but also…calm._

_"Hi." The woman said, giving him a wave, which made me…confused. Mostly suspicious, but also confused. From the sound of his voice, grandfather seemed to echo my feelings._

_"Yes, what is it? What do you want?" Grandfather asked briskly._

_The woman's large eyes seemed to widened as she blinked. "Sorry…you're about to make a very big mistake." I could see grandfather growing cold, but before he could retort, the woman grinned as she crossed her arms and leaned against the nearest capsule, the Type 40. "Don't steal that one, steal THIS one. The navigation system's knackered but you'll have much fun."_

_Grandfather took in a long breath, drawing himself up and resting his hands upon his lapel. "And why should I heed your advice, hmm?"_

_The woman's grin turned into a smile. "Because you're running. Not just from fear or…anxiety or responsibility, or even safety. You're running because you're bored." Grandfather was about to interject, but the woman carried on. Her eyebrows had elevated, only to be followed by a serene sigh. "But there's more, isn't there?"_

_Grandfather frowned. "And what makes you imply such a thing?"_

_"Because you're not running."_

_I still don't know why, but something about her finally clicked. She was no threat. I couldn't feel wary of her anymore. If she was one of our people, she was…very strange, rather like grandfather if I'm honest. Grandfather seemed to echo my sentiments for he had relaxed his posture._

_"What's your name, my dear?" Grandfather's tone was no longer brisk, but warm and kind._

_The woman smiled. "Clara Oswald."_

_Grandfather smiled. "Clara." Grandfather cast his eyes down, almost in embarrassment, but the expression was gone in an instant. "_ _But I must ask you_ _again…_ _Clara_ _…why should I heed_ _your advice?"_

_The wom…Clara blinked her large eyes at Grandfather. "It's in your nature."_

_Grandfather's eyes seemed to widen at her words, and he turned back to the Type 50 I was standing in. I peered out of the doors to look at him, and he seemed…lost. I'm not sure if I liked seeing that face on grandfather, and yet…grandfather looked back to the Type 40 and something he saw took him by surprise. I looked back to the Scanner…actually it was the lack of something that surprised him. That woman, Clara, was gone. No alarms, no warnings, nothing. All we could hear was the distant sound of the workshop._

_Then, grandfather reached a hand inside, grasped me by the hand and pulled me out. "Grandfather?" I whispered. "What's going on? Who was that?"_

_"I…" Grandfather stared out at nothing for a moment, the fingers on his right-hand twitching and rubbing together before he spoke. "I'm not sure, my dear."_

_I waited, almost expecting him to continue but he didn't. "So what is it?"_

_Grandfather's gaze moved to the Type 40, his fingers still rubbing together but…"Yes…yes…" Grandfather muttered under his breath, before he drew in a long inhale that let his posture become relaxed._

_"Grandfather?"_

_Grandfather led me over to the Type 40. "We are not taking that TARDIS, Susan, we are taking this one."_

_"Why?" I asked, pointing out, "The Type 50 is clearly in better condition."_

_Grandfather raised his eyebrows at me. "And how could you deduce such a thing?"_

_I blinked at that. "Well…because-"_

_"Because it is not a Type 50, hmm?" I couldn't bring myself to answer that. "No, we are not taking that TARDIS because we would know exactly where and when we would go. But with this one," Grandfather pointed to the Type 40…only to chuckle, the kind where you laugh with your mouth completely closed, "well…it would be much more fun that way." Grandfather placed his right hand back onto his lapel and smiled. "Now come along, my child. We should be leaving now."_

_Grandfather pushed the doors open and we stepped inside, closing the doors behind us. When we turned around to look at the console, we paused. The interior of this TARDIS looked similar to the Type 50 but…well, it was white, but…I'm still not sure how to describe it. Crystal? Snow? I really wouldn't have a clue, but…it was illuminating. Maybe it was the round circles in the walls, which the Type 50 didn't have. Whatever it was, it was…comforting, like when you live in a home that you love, and it would love you back if it understood emotion. Ironically, TARDIS's are alive…in a way, but they most definitely can understand feelings, so…this one feeling like a warm home compared to the Type 50 feeling like a cold basement most definitely kept us from leaving. I honestly couldn't say anything else in that moment, except for, "She's beautiful."_

_Grandfather didn't respond, at least…not to me. His eyes slowly traveled about the room, taking it all in as he stepped slowly over to the console. He placed his right hand on it and…didn't move. He only smiled. "Where to, Susan?" I moved up to the console beside him and…I didn't know how to answer. In response to my silence, grandfather just shrugged. "I wouldn't know either."_

_We left Gallifrey shortly after, but I still don't know…that woman…it was like she knew him. Not as a passing acquaintance but…something else. Clara. I've never met her before but…something about her reminded me of grandfather. Maybe that is why we trusted her so quickly. In some way, she knew him, far more than the rest our people._

_Anyway, that is my…elongated way of understanding this. You see, when I think about…Clara, I don't find any feeling of…distrust or…wariness. I feel like I could trust her. I guess that the only way I can end this log is by posing a question. A question that I hope grandfather can answer at some point, and…it is the only question I have left…_

_Who are you, Clara Oswald?_

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note by Smaug: So…this is…a two parter, but not a two parter…I guess? The first part was based upon the "Day of the Doctor Strax Cinema Intro" but obviously changed to fit the written form, just as a fun sort of opener for the entire saga. The second part is an extension of a small clip from "Name of the Doctor" where the 1st Doctor meets Clara…well, one of them, as he is leaving Gallifrey with Susan. I was tossing up on how I was going to tell it, whether from the 1st Doctor or Susan's POV, but I found Susan to be the more intriguing one.
> 
> Temporary disclaimer: I do have an intention to add cover art's for each individual chapter and the story itself, however since I am a complete novice when it comes to Photoshop, this may not come to fruition for quite a while. But eventually I will start adding cover artwork once I have enough experience.
> 
> Admittedly with the original, I fell off when it came to having a regular schedule with the chapters, some taking a few weeks others taking too long, which I hope to improve, and that's before you get to…quite honestly a dumpster fire of a year with 2020. I can't guarantee that I will be consistent every time, but I will at least try to be.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope you stick around for the rest of this story. Feel free to post a review off your thoughts, and if you have any questions regarding this story, do please ask and I will try my best to respond. I will try to do an overall response regarding questions of the story's arc and characters (So on and so forth) in my author's note at the start of every chapter.
> 
> Okay, that does it for me, at least for now, and I hope to see you next time. Until then, farewell for now. :)


End file.
